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Greeley vet shot and killed as he aims assault rifle at police officer

Police investigate the evidence and the scene of a shooting Wednesday in the 1300 block of Fourth Street in Greeley. (Joshua Polson, Greeley Tribune)

Greeley police shot and killed an ex-military man apparently drunk and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after the man aimed an assault rifle at the officers early Wednesday morning, police said.

The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Jacinto Zavala of Greeley, was taken to a hospital after the 3 a.m. confrontation. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

A relative of Zavala called police shortly before 3 a.m. about the "intoxicated" man on the 1300 block of Fourth Street who was armed with two or three guns, including an AR-15 assault rifle, according to Greeley police Sgt. J.P. Tymkowych.

The relative told a dispatcher that the man was ex-military and was suffering from PTSD. The suspect then got on the phone and said, "They are going to have a shootout," apparently referring to the responding officers, Tymkowych said in a news release.

When Greeley police officers arrived, they spotted the man pacing in front of a home. The officers ordered the man to raise his hands to surrender, he said.

Instead, the man pointed a long gun at an officer. Police then shot the man. No police officers were injured during the incident.

"I am both saddened and angry that this individual put our young officers and their families through this," Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner said in a statement. "I am equally sad that he inflicted pain on his own family members."

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The investigation of the shooting is being led by the Weld County district attorney's office.